SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Drury University has finalized its 30th Athletics Hall of Fame induction class, which will include six legendary DU figures who will be enshrined as new members of the Class of 2025-26 on Saturday, Jan. 10 at the Judy Thompson Executive Conference Center in O'Reilly Enterprise Center.

This year's induction class will include Bailee (Nunn) Berger (women's swimming, 2016-20), Daejah Bernard (women's basketball, 2016-20), Brooke (Antenen) Byl (volleyball, 2012-16), Caleb Cole (baseball, 2011-14), Hailey Diestelkamp (women's basketball, 2016-20) and Jarrod Smith (head tennis coach, 2006-23).
 
Doors will open at 10 a.m. for the event, and the induction ceremony will start at 10:30 a.m.
 
One of the most decorated athletes in Drury history, Bailee (Nunn) Berger captured 14 individual NCAA Division II national titles during her storied career, helping the DU women to three consecutive national runner-up finishes (2017-19). Those totals figure to have been even more impressive had COVID-19 not cut the Panthers' 2020 season short. Nevertheless, the Marshfield, Mo., product earned NCAA-II Swimmer of the Year honors as a sophomore in 2018 and was tabbed GLVC Swimmer of the Year three times. In all, she won 21 GLVC titles, broke eight conference marks and two Division II records. Berger was also a two-time CSC Academic All-American and was selected as Drury's Dr. Edsel Matthews Award co-winner as a senior.

The first of two women's basketball standouts selected for this year's enshrinement class, Daejah Bernard helped lift the Lady Panthers to unprecedented heights during her four-year career. A two-time All-America selection will go down as one of the greatest defenders in Drury history, as the St. Joseph, Mo., native was selected as the GLVC's Defensive Player of the Year in three straight seasons (2018-20) and led the nation in steals as a junior in 2018-19. A four-time All-GLVC selection, the Lady Panthers's all-time assists leader was one of the catalysts for Drury's incredible four-year record of 128-8, including a 72-2 mark in league play during her time in Springfield. As a senior in 2019-20, she helped lead DU to a perfect 32-0 record and No. 1 national ranking. Her No. 5 jersey hangs from the O'Reilly Family Event Center rafters as one of just three Lady Panthers to have their numbers retired.
 
A standout on the volleyball court throughout her collegiate career for Drury, Brooke (Antenen) Byl was the first Panther to earn NCAA Division II All-Midwest Region honors as a senior in 2016. A native of Naperville, Ill., Byl was a two-time All-GLVC honoree and helped the Panthers post back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time in nearly a quarter century in 2015-16. She capped her DU career ranked fifth on the Panthers' all-time assists list with a total 3,709 after posting three of the best top 20 single-season totals in program history. Byl, the 2017 Dr. Edsel Matthews Award winner at DU, also logged 11 triple-doubles -- a Drury record at the time of her graduation.

One of the top offensive threats in Drury baseball history, Caleb Cole was a four-time All-GLVC honoree who remains near the top of nearly every statistical leaderboard for the Panthers more than a decade after the conclusion of his collegiate career. The Lee's Summit, Mo., product earned First-Team All-Midwest Region honors in 2013 and 2014, in addition to his selection as GLVC Freshman of the Year in 2011. Drury's career record-holder for RBIs (190), Cole registered DU single-game records for RBIs (8) and steals (3), while also ranks among the Panthers' all-time leaders in hits (267), doubles (45) and batting average (.344). He posted two of Drury's top 12 single-season totals in both hits and RBIs, and remains DU's all-time leader in defensive assists (577).

Perhaps the most recognizable name associated with Lady Panthers basketball, Hailey Diestelkamp's list of career accolades ranks not only as the most impressive in the history of Drury University, but also among the best to ever play the sport in southwest Missouri. A two-time NCAA Division II National Player of the Year, she ranks as the only player in DU history to top the 2,000-point and 1,000-rebound plateaus. An Owensville, Mo., product, Diestelkamp was a three-time GLVC Tournament MVP and three-time First-Team All-GLVC pick. She was named the GLVC's Paragon Award winner, conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's basketball and Academic All-America by Collegiate Sports Communicators in 2020. Additionally, she led the Panthers to 128 victories in her four-year career, including a 32-0 campaign and No. 1 final national ranking in the COVID-19 shortened season of 2019-20. Her No. 34 jersey was retired in 2021 as one of just three Lady Panthers to receive the honor.

Not only one of Drury's winningest head coaches, but also one of the most successful in the history of GLVC tennis, Jarrod Smith served as head coach of the Drury women's tennis program for 18 years and led the Panthers men's program for 13 seasons before shifting his focus to leading DU's pickleball program in 2024. At the time of his transition, Smith ranked among the top five NCAA-II women's tennis coaches for winning percentage, as well as one of the top 10 men's coaches in the same category. He amassed a 330-81 (.803) record leading the Drury women's team and a 193-57 (.772) mark guiding the men's program. Smith led the women's team to eight GLVC titles, including five straight from 2007-11, as well as a league record of 102-5 and 16 national tournament appearances, including a pair of national quarterfinal berths. On the men's ledger, his team won three GLVC championships and a 55-5 record in the league play, including an undefeated run in the GLVC from 2012 through the 2021 season. He led the program to nine NCAA-II tournament appearances and back-to-back trips to the national quarterfinals in 2017 and 2018.  

For reservations or additional information, please contact Ed Beach with Drury Athletics by phone at (417) 873-4097, or by email at ebeach@drury.edu.

The cost of the brunch and induction ceremony is $35 per person. Those attending the induction can also attend that day's basketball games at no extra charge as Drury takes on Lincoln, with the women's game tipping off at 1 p.m. and the men's game commencing at 3 p.m. inside O'Reilly Family Event Center.